Camping Fluxx - the Perfect Gift for Scouts and Camping Enthusiasts

I am a big fan of Fluxx, the ever-changing card game. In addition to the original, there are a lot of themed versions of Fluxx. My favorite so far is Across America Fluxx, but I'm really excited about the latest addition to the Fluxx family, Camping Fluxx. The folks at Looney Labs sent me an advance copy to review and I'm happy to say that I love it! This post contains affiliate links. 

Just like the many other versions of Fluxx, the winner of Camping Fluxx is the person who has the green Keeper cards that fulfill the pink Goal card. Of course, it's harder than it sounds, since the Goal can change many times during the game! In addition to Keeper and Goal cards, there are three other types of cards: yellow New Rule cards; blue Action cards; and black Creeper cards. 

The Keeper and Goal cards all have a fun camping theme... which makes this game absolutely perfect for Scouts! For example, the "Be Prepared" Goal requires you have the Bug Spray and Rain Gear Keepers. The "I Like 'Em Burned" Goal needs a Campfire and Marshmallows. 

Another reason you should immediately buy Camping Fluxx for all the Scouts in your life? These New Rule cards!

The Camping Bonus awards an extra draw and an extra play to all players who are on a camping trip. And the Scout Bonus give an extra draw to any Scout and two extra draws to an Eagle Scout! My Eagle loves that he and his fellow Eagles are recognized like this. Fun fact: Fluxx's creator, Andy Looney, became an Eagle Scout in 1981!

Creepers are the whammy cards of Fluxx. In Camping Fluxx, there are two: Rain and Mosquitos. Both can put a serious damper on a camping trip and both can prevent you from winning Fluxx.  

Camping Fluxx is great fun and a wonderful addition to the Fluxx family. It'll be coming along on all of our future camping trips!

Across America Fluxx

There's a new version of Fluxx out and it's AWESOME! Across America Fluxx was provided to me as media sample. There are affiliate links here and throughout the post.

 

Did you notice the license plate? Luv Flx!

Across America Fluxx is everything I love about other versions of Fluxx (fun, easy to learn, portable, ever-changing, played with any number of people) combined with a subject matter I love, travel in the US. Across America Fluxx is played the same way as the other versions of Fluxx. You follow the (ever-changing) Rules as you take Actions and collect Keepers in hopes of achieving the (ever-changing) Goal and winning the game. 

 

The Goals and Keepers are totally unique to this version of Fluxx and are all themed on locations in the US. The first thing I did when I opened the box was go through the Keepers and see how many places we've been! I've been to 14 of the 21 shown below on the map, most recently the Space Needle. Excluding the Golden Gate Bridge, which I've been on, under, and next to often enough to not be a big deal. 

I was a bit confused at first, as there are 21 locations on the map and 22 Keepers. The 22nd is Amusement Parks. Smart to keep it generic instead of naming a specific one. 

The next thing I did was to go through the Goals to see how many I'd accomplished in real life. (I got a lot of entertainment from Across America Fluxx long before I even played a single game!) Answer: 18 out of 32. #Goals.  

The Rules and Actions in this deck are mostly similar to other Fluxx versions, but there are several of each that are new. One of the more interesting ones is the Been There Bonus, which lets you draw an extra card if you've actually been to at least one of the Keepers you have in play. The Road Trip! rule has you count the number of different states represented by the Keepers you have in play and draw that many cards. So if you didn't already know the locations of some of the spots, you will after playing enough rounds of Across America Fluxx!

Looney Labs has also introduced Around the World Fluxx, which can be combined with Across America Fluxx for even more fun. I don't have a copy of Around the World Fluxx yet, so if you've played it, let me know what you think!

Astronomy Fluxx

We are a board game and card game family. We play games together whenever we have the chance. Trevor loves games so much that he founded the Games Club at his middle school! If you go my gift guide tab and scroll down to Family Fun, you'll find several dozen of our family's very favorite games, including Fluxx. (Affiliate link here and throughout the post.) 

I first discovered Fluxx sometime around 1998. I love that it is easy to learn (yet ever-changing!) and accommodates any number of players. It's portable and inexpensive. It requires reading, but otherwise is fun for all ages. I introduced Trevor to Fluxx when he was around 5 and he loved it. Since then, he has collected many different versions of Fluxx, including Star Fluxx, Nature Fluxx, and the Fluxx board game. Recently, the folks at Looney Labs have been introducing educational versions of Fluxx. I jumped on the chance to review the latest, Astronomy Fluxx, which was provided to me by Looney Labs. 

Astronomy Fluxx basically plays like all the other versions of Fluxx. You collect Keepers...

.... and use Actions in order to achieve a Goal. If you have the correct Keepers to meet the Goal, you win!

However, the New Rules (and the Goals) change constantly... sometimes in your favor and sometimes not! It's a lot of fun.

Astronomy Fluxx has some neat features that distinguish it from other versions of Fluxx. The first thing I noticed was the gorgeous photography. The Keepers and Goals feature NASA's photographs of planets and the other astronomical objects. Many of the Goals list dates that mark major accomplishments in space exploration; the Quiz Me Action card asks players to name those dates. The Name a Constellation New Rule rewards players for mentioning a constellation that has not yet come up in the game. Simply by playing Astronomy Fluxx, kids (and adults!) will learn so much more about space.

My favorite card is the stunning Galaxy Keeper. In fact, it inspired me to create some artwork that is out of this world. (Ha ha!) I'll teach you how to make it tomorrow.